Unexpectedly Wed to the Officer--A Historical Romance Award Winning Author

by Jenni Fletcher

  ‘This way.’ Sebastian’s mother took hold of her arm again, leading her up the steps as a footman came to escort the Dowager Duchess. ‘Let’s get you settled.’

  ‘I’m so sorry to intrude, Mrs Fortini...’ Henrietta glanced over her shoulder, already hoping for a glimpse of the cart following behind. ‘It was all such a rush and there was no time to send a message ahead. If we’re causing you any inconvenience, then please say so.’

  ‘It’s nothing of the sort.’ Mrs Fortini smiled benignly. ‘And you used to call me Elizabeth, remember?’

  ‘Ye-es, but it’s been several months and so much has changed.’

  ‘But not me, I hope.’ Mrs Fortini—Elizabeth—squeezed her arm. ‘Do you remember when you made that beautiful evening gown for Anna to wear at Lady Jarrow’s party? And then you fixed up one of my old ones so that it looked as good as new? Well, if memory serves, I said that I was indebted that day. Now I’m thrilled to be able to repay you.’

  ‘Thank you, but I would never have dreamed of intruding if... Well, if things hadn’t been so difficult recently.’

  ‘At Belles?’

  ‘Oh, no, the shop’s in good hands. It’s just a situation involving my brother. You see, his wife died and now he’s run away and I’ve no idea where’s he’s gone and there’s nobody else to look after my nephews and—’ She stopped short, feeling horribly short of breath and as though she were about to start crying.

  ‘Oh, my dear.’ Elizabeth led her in through the great doors. ‘How terrible.’

  ‘But Sebastian’s been a great help. Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without him.’

  ‘Good! Now let’s go into the sitting room and you can tell me all about it.’

  Chapter Sixteen

  ‘There’s a lake!’ Michael bounced to his feet with excitement.

  ‘Careful!’ Sebastian swung around, grabbing hold of his waist. ‘If you break your leg falling off this cart, then I won’t let you go anywhere near it.’

  ‘Sorry.’ Michael settled back down again. ‘But it’s huge!’

  ‘Full of trout, too.’ Lord Tobias grinned. ‘Excellent for young boys to fish in.’

  ‘We don’t know how to fish.’

  ‘You don’t? Good gracious. Well, I’d be happy to teach you. A boy ought to know how to fish.’

  ‘Sailors need to know, too.’ Peter spoke up this time. ‘Don’t they, Sebastian?’

  ‘It can definitely come in handy.’

  ‘And there’s Feversham.’ Lord Tobias pointed ahead towards a large grey house.

  ‘That’s huge, too!’ Michael sounded thunderstruck.

  ‘I built it myself. Not brick by brick, of course, but I designed it with an architect friend of mine about fifteen years ago. My father wanted to keep the bulk of the estate together for my older brother, but he gave me enough money to be independent so I decided to build this. It gives me plenty of room to indulge my interests.’

  ‘It’s a fine-looking house,’ Sebastian answered honestly. The building was large, but not imposing, blending discreetly into the landscape instead of fighting against it. ‘Is the Messingham estate close by?’

  ‘Don’t you know?’ Lord Tobias looked surprised.

  ‘No. I made a point of never being interested.’

  ‘Ah. Well, there are properties all over the country, of course, but the bulk of the estate is in Kent.’

  ‘Kent?’ Sebastian looked at his uncle properly for the first time. ‘That’s a long way from Yorkshire.’

  ‘Exactly. Far enough away that I’m not required to visit too often.’ Lord Tobias shrugged. ‘It’s not that I don’t love my brother. I do, but we get along much better at a distance. Besides, I always loved this part of the world.’

  ‘What about your mother? Wasn’t there a dower house in Kent for her?’

  ‘Yes, but she preferred to come and live here with me. We were always very close.’

  ‘Really?’ Sebastian couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

  ‘Forgive me, I didn’t mean to be tactless. I know that she and Elizabeth were close, too, before...well...’

  ‘Before she cut her off without a penny.’

  ‘That was our father’s doing.’ His uncle’s voice took on a harder edge. ‘Our mother had nothing to do with it.’

  ‘She still went along with it.’ Sebastian threw a cautious glance over his shoulder, but the boys were too busy chattering to be paying any attention to their conversation at that moment.

  ‘Actually I don’t believe that she did.’ Lord Tobias’s knuckles tightened over the reins. ‘I was only thirteen and away at school when it happened, but the next time I came home I could see that everything was different. My mother was deeply unhappy, but she was also powerless to defy my father. He was a controlling man at the best of times, but his temper was worse than ever after Elizabeth ran away. I was terrified of him.’

  ‘You were?’ Sebastian lifted his eyebrows.

  ‘I’m not saying that we were blameless, my mother and I. Maybe we should have done more, but at the time there didn’t seem to be anything we could do. Then, after my father died, we thought of contacting Elizabeth, but it had been so long and we assumed she wouldn’t want to hear from us. I thought about visiting Bath and Belles several times, but I never summoned up the courage. Now I wish that I had. I know this situation must be very disconcerting for you and I wouldn’t blame you for being angry, but I can’t tell you how pleased I am to meet you finally. You’re welcome to stay as long as you wish, all of you.’

  ‘You know that I’m a sailor, Henrietta’s a shopkeeper and the boys’ father is a stable hand?’

  ‘I do now.’

  ‘Then are you sure that you want to invite us? Some people might say we’re not fit company for a dowager duchess.’

  ‘Some people might. I wouldn’t. I stopped caring about what society thought a long time ago, around the same time as I lost my sister, as it happens.’

  ‘We might be a handful.’

  ‘I’ll enjoy it. I’m an old bachelor myself, but it’ll be nice to hear children’s voices about the place.’ Lord Tobias pulled on the reins, bringing them to a halt in front of the house. ‘You can keep trying to deter me as much as you like, but you won’t dampen my enthusiasm.’

  ‘What about the Duke?’ Sebastian lifted an eyebrow. ‘The new Duke, I mean? Has he reconciled with my mother, too?’

  ‘No.’ A shadow crossed his uncle’s face. ‘I’m afraid that my brother takes after my father in that regard.’

  ‘Meaning he doesn’t approve of her living here?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. He’s written to me about it in no uncertain terms.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And I’ve replied in a similar vein.’

  Sebastian smiled his approval. ‘I’d like to have been a fly on the wall when he opened that letter.’

  ‘Nobody should be told who they can or can’t share their lives with, or who they can love either.’

  ‘I agree.’ Sebastian looked up at the house and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘If you were away at school when my mother ran away, then I don’t suppose you ever met my father.’

  ‘No, although I wish that I had. From what Elizabeth tells me, he was a very special man.’

  ‘He was.’ Sebastian nodded, starting to suspect that his uncle might be, too. ‘Now, I ought to go and find Henrietta.’

  * * *

  Pouring her heart out to Elizabeth had been soothing, Henrietta realised, as Sebastian walked into the drawing room half an hour later alongside his uncle and her nephews. Now that her tears had dried, her mind felt ten times easier than it had that morning. Surprisingly, he looked more relaxed, too, albeit a little confused, as if he were trying to make sense of something.

  ‘We’re going to learn fishing!’ Micha
el announced, already hurtling across the room.

  ‘Are you?’ She gave him a pointed look that only just stopped him from leaping on to the sofa beside her.

  ‘Oh!’ He skidded to a halt and sat down gingerly. ‘Yes, Lord Tobias said that he’ll teach us.’

  ‘With your permission?’ Sebastian’s uncle looked towards her with a smile.

  ‘Of course.’ She smiled back. ‘That’s very kind.’

  ‘And we’re allowed to call him Uncle Toby!’ Michael blinked. ‘Only I just forgot to.’

  ‘I see.’ She glanced uncertainly at Sebastian, who only lifted his shoulders.

  ‘We decided it would be easier, didn’t we, young man?’ His uncle’s smile grew even wider. ‘Lord Tobias sounds much too formal.’

  ‘I’ve asked Mrs Lancaster to prepare the nursery,’ Elizabeth commented, speaking to her brother, though her gaze was focused on Sebastian, Henrietta noticed.

  ‘The nursery?’ His uncle chuckled. ‘You know, my architect insisted on calling it that, but I never thought I’d have a use for it. The rooms will need a good airing.’

  ‘I’m sure Mrs Lancaster is seeing to it now.’

  ‘In the meantime...’ His uncle caught his sister’s eye and took a tactful step backwards. ‘Perhaps I could take the boys into the library and have a marble tournament? I’ll send for some refreshments, too.’

  ‘What a good idea.’ The Dowager Duchess reached for her walking stick. ‘I think I’ll join you.’

  ‘Maybe I should, too...’ Henrietta started out of her seat.

  ‘No. You stay.’ Sebastian turned sharply towards her. ‘If you don’t mind,’ he added more gently.

  ‘If that’s what you want...’ She sat down again, looking between him and his mother anxiously.

  ‘Henrietta’s just been telling me about Belles.’ His mother spoke first. ‘I’m glad that the shop’s doing so well, although I never doubted she’d do a good job.’

  ‘Yes. Has she told you her idea about selling tea?’

  Henrietta shook her head quickly. ‘It’s still just an idea.’

  ‘But it sounds like a very interesting one.’ Elizabeth smiled. ‘I’m sure Anna would love to discuss it when she comes back from Retford, but I’m afraid that may not be for a while. The Earl’s grandfather died last week and they don’t want to leave his grandmother. I doubt we’ll be seeing her before the new year.’

  ‘Oh, how sad.’ Henrietta felt genuinely sorrowful. ‘He was such a kind man. He used to talk to me about bees.’

  ‘I remember. Anna was very fond of him.’ Elizabeth turned to her son as he sat down in the chair just vacated by the Dowager Duchess. ‘And how was your ride with Tobias?’

  ‘Fine... Enlightening... Good.’

  ‘Good,’ his mother repeated, leaning forward to place a hand on his knee. ‘I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see you again. When I got your letter from Bath, I thought that my heart would burst. I’ve been so worried.’

  ‘It’s good to see you again, too.’ His slightly perplexed expression turned to one of affection.

  ‘But tell me, what happened? Why didn’t we hear from you for so long?’

  ‘It’s a long story, one for another time. The main thing is that I’m here now.’

  ‘Well, I can’t argue with that. And will you stay?’ Mrs Fortini looked between the two of them. ‘Oh, do say you will, at least until after Christmas.’

  ‘We’ll need to talk about it.’

  Sebastian caught Henrietta’s eye and she bit her lip. Christmas was still several weeks away. Nancy had told her to take as long as she needed, promising to send word if there was any sign of David or any problems, and she knew that Sebastian would insist on accompanying her and the boys if they left any sooner. And how could she do that when Mrs Fortini was looking at her with large, distinctly moist eyes? But Sebastian was giving her a way out, she realised, giving her the power to say yes or no, as if her desires and comfort mattered more than his. In which case...how could she say no?

  ‘I’d be delighted to stay.’

  * * *

  Until after Christmas... Henrietta sat on the edge of a large four-poster bed, looking around a bedroom larger than any she’d slept in in her life. And it was hers—until after Christmas!

  She’d agreed to stay. Of course she’d agreed to stay. It would have felt cruel to Mrs Fortini not to, but what was she supposed to do for the next month? Especially now that the boys had been appointed a pair of housemaids to tend to their every need as if they were little dukes themselves! She’d insisted on reading them a bedtime story that evening, but she had no doubt that they were still wide awake up in the nursery, wondering what on earth had happened to their lives. She was wondering the same thing. It was as if her whole existence had been turned upside down from the moment she’d rammed her kitchen door into Sebastian’s face.

  Speaking of doors... She heard a light tap on hers and hurried across the room to open it.

  ‘Ready for dinner?’ Sebastian stood in the hallway, dressed in his regular clothes instead of the dinner suit she might have expected. Which was a relief. She’d been afraid that her best evening gown, a pink muslin with a lacy trim around the neckline, wasn’t formal enough.

  ‘I think so.’ She smoothed a hand nervously over her hair. ‘Do I look all right?’

  ‘Am I allowed to give compliments now?’ He leaned closer, his dark eyes twinkling. ‘Because if I am, then I’d say you look as beautiful as always.’

  ‘I meant, do I look smart enough? This is my best dress.’

  ‘And it looks gorgeous on you.’

  ‘Sebastian...’

  ‘I mean it. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.’

  ‘What should I talk about at dinner?’

  ‘Damned if I know. I’m just glad that you’re with me.’

  She glanced at his profile as they made their way to the staircase, surprised by the apparent depth of feeling behind the words. He sounded as if he genuinely meant them, as if he were relying on her as much as she’d come to rely on him over the past couple of weeks.

  ‘Your family seem very pleasant.’

  ‘Yes. They’re not what I expected.’

  ‘They’ve been very welcoming. I don’t think the Dowager Duchess has stopped smiling since she set eyes on you.’

  ‘Does that mean you really don’t mind staying?’ He gave her a searching look, smiling when she nodded. ‘Well then, I’m grateful to them for that. I couldn’t tell from your expression earlier. I was afraid I might have to sleep outside your door to stop you running away in the night.’

  ‘I promise that if I run away then I’ll do it broad daylight.’

  ‘Good. Because I have a very comfortable-looking bed down the hall and I’d like to make the most of it. Not that I didn’t appreciate all the sofas and chairs I’ve been sleeping on recently, but a real bed makes a pleasant change.’

  ‘Mmm.’ She stared straight ahead, feeling her cheeks start to flush. It didn’t feel quite right to be discussing beds with him. Or to be thinking about him in one either...especially when her imagination seemed determined to place her in the scene, too. ‘Your mother seems very happy.’ She changed the subject hastily.

  ‘Yes. I’m pleased about that. As for the rest... I don’t know quite how to feel yet.’ He turned to face her as they reached the bottom of the staircase. ‘All I do know is that I’m hungry. Ravenous actually.’

  ‘Me, too. I was too nervous to eat earlier.’

  ‘Then will you do me the honour of accompanying me into the drawing room, my lady?’ He made a bow, sweeping his hand so low that it skimmed lightly across the floor. ‘Although I doubt that we’ll be able to find the dining room on our own without a map.’

  ‘I’d be most obliged, my lord.’ She laughed, sinking into an equally low curt
sy before tucking her arm into his elbow and then immediately trying to extract it again as they entered the drawing room to find Mrs Fortini, Lord Tobias and the Dowager Duchess all waiting. Sebastian was faster, however, raising his other hand and clamping it down on top of hers.

  ‘Good evening.’ Lord Tobias stood up to welcome them. ‘The boys are all settled, I trust?’

  ‘Yes.’ Henrietta dipped into a slightly less effusive curtsy. ‘Thank you, Lord Tobias. They like the nursery very much.’

  ‘Call me Tobias, please. Now, dinner’s ready if we are?’ His smile looked almost in danger of splitting his face. ‘I never would have thought when I got up this morning that by tonight I’d be welcoming my own long-lost nephew into my home. I honestly couldn’t be any happier.’

  Henrietta nudged Sebastian lightly in the ribs when he didn’t respond. Instead, his expression looked oddly tense for a few seconds before he let her go and reached an arm out. ‘Here you are, Uncle. I didn’t shake your hand properly before. It’s a pleasure to meet you and, for the record, I’m happy, too.’

  ‘Thank you. And Miss Gardiner...’ his uncle continued. ‘I do hope your nephews will be happy here, as well.’ His laugh positively boomed around the room. ‘There appear to be nephews everywhere these days!’

  Chapter Seventeen

  ‘What a beautiful day.’ Elizabeth Fortini sighed happily as she walked arm in arm with Sebastian through Feversham’s frost-covered garden. ‘It looks as though the world is covered in sugar.’

  ‘That sounds like something Father would have said.’